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IMDbPro

Incubus

  • 1966
  • Unrated
  • 1h 14m
IMDb RATING
6.1/10
2.4K
YOUR RATING
Incubus (1966)
Horror

On a strange island inhabited by demons and spirits, a man battles the forces of evil.On a strange island inhabited by demons and spirits, a man battles the forces of evil.On a strange island inhabited by demons and spirits, a man battles the forces of evil.

  • Director
    • Leslie Stevens
  • Writer
    • Leslie Stevens
  • Stars
    • William Shatner
    • Allyson Ames
    • Eloise Hardt
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.1/10
    2.4K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Leslie Stevens
    • Writer
      • Leslie Stevens
    • Stars
      • William Shatner
      • Allyson Ames
      • Eloise Hardt
    • 81User reviews
    • 50Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Photos9

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    Top cast10

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    William Shatner
    William Shatner
    • Marc
    Allyson Ames
    • Kia
    Eloise Hardt
    • Amael
    Robert Fortier
    • Olin
    Ann Atmar
    • Arndis
    Milos Milos
    • Incubus
    Jay Ashworth
    • Monk
    • (uncredited)
    Forrest T. Butler
    • Monk
    • (uncredited)
    Paolo Cossa
    • Narrator
    • (voice)
    • (uncredited)
    Ted Mossman
    • Monk
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Leslie Stevens
    • Writer
      • Leslie Stevens
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews81

    6.12.3K
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    Featured reviews

    10robert_deveau

    Unique Moral Fable

    Like an orphaned episode of "The Outer Limits", the film INCUBUS wrestles with issues of morality within the framework of a timeless fable. The use of Esperanto allows for dialogue that might have felt overblown if spoken in English, but here fits neatly into the story's dreamlike context. A strong script from director Leslie Stevens, brilliant cinematography from the great Conrad Hall, an evocative score from Dominic Frontiere (all three from "Outer Limits"), and fine work from a good cast (William Shatner is subtle and believable) all add up to a unique film. If you're tired of cops and serial killers and want to use your imagination, give INCUBUS a try.
    6DannyNoonan68

    If for no other reason....

    A very weird, quietly creepy horror film... I think a big chunk of the weirdness and creepiness goes down to the fact that the film is entirely in Esperanto (and also the bit with the goat).

    Put together by Outer Limits staffers (who were apparently obsessed with artificial languages), the production values are not dissimilar to 50s/60s TV (the odd camera shadow, out of focus evil beings, etc), but the effects are strangely effective and the use of sound is genuinely creepy in a way that made me think of "Eraserhead".

    This film is worth seeing if for no other reason than to see William Shatner overacting in Esperanto. Most of the film he keeps the overacting in check, but about an hour in he clearly can't help himself.
    8sennomo

    unique art film

    I give this film high marks specifically because of its originality. Incubus is a truly unique art film. Do not watch it as you would watch most films. Most of the people who dis this film are illogically comparing it with mainstream films.

    If you like Shatner's early work (e.g., Twighlight Zone), you'll like him in Incubus. The rest of the actors do a generally good job, too.

    If you know Esperanto, I warn you, the Esperanto in this film is horrible. It is my understanding that the director did not want the dialogue to be understood. Each member of the cast trips over a few lines here and there, sometimes so badly that it should be obvious even to those who don't know Esperanto. The funniest thing is that Shatner pronounces Esperanto with a somewhat French accent and he pauses just like he does in English.

    (La ideo, ke Esperanto aperas en la filmo varbas; tamen, la esperantoparolado mem en la filmo ja acxas.)

    If you don't know Esperanto, do not watch this film for the Esperanto dialogue. It's not a good sample.

    Everbody, watch Incubus if you like creepy, experimental art films.
    michael.e.barrett

    Uncanny

    It is correct to compare this independent, low-budget, black-and-white atmospheric horror film with others of its decade, such as "Carnival of Souls" and "Night Tide," and it's also correct to compare it with Bergman, since there is clearly a touch of "Seventh Seal" here and possibly a bit of "Virgin Spring" and "The Devil's Eye." But I'd like to point this out: the most obvious comparison people make is with "Persona" because of the strikingly composed "sister" shots, which evoke the famous profile compositions of Bergman's movie, yet "Persona" was made a year later, in 1966! ("Hour of the Wolf" was made three years later, in 1968.) Therefore, while we can say Leslie Stevens and Conrad Hall were influenced by Bergman, it's also reasonable to suppose that since this film played at the Venice Film Festival, Bergman might have been influenced by "Incubus"!

    The awkward moments--I'm thinking especially of the last scene--create a rare accident that only occurs in low-budget films. The effects are so obvious and ludicrous that you're half-inclined to ridicule the scene with an "Oh, come on!" Yet at the same time, what it's trying to get across is so inherently disturbing that you also feel the frisson of real horror. It's a kind of accidental alienation effect. This state of conflict in the viewer's mind--half pitched out of the spell and rejecting what we see for what we know, and half shocked into ghastly conviction--this frame of mind is where is the uncanny takes effect.
    8rch427

    Fascinating, unique, underappreciated

    Writer/Director Leslie Stevens was previously best-known as the man behind the TV series "The Outer Limits", and it shows. Everything about this film is moody, atmospheric and vaguely threatening, while still tinged with beauty. The real surprise is that "Incubus" is much better than just an extended Outer Limits.

    Shot in Big Sur on the central California coast in just two weeks and under a very small budget, the film more than makes up for those limitations with an imaginative script, fantastic visuals and well-nuanced acting. William Shatner gives what I consider to be the most subtle, unmannered performance of his career as the protagonist -- a weary, wounded soldier. The succubus who aims to cause his downfall is more than ably portrayed by Allyson Ames, who would've been quite at home in any Bergman film.

    Bergman is, in fact, a reference point, with a few scenes obviously inspired by "Persona", "The Seventh Seal" and perhaps "Wild Strawberries". Other influences seem to be some of Kurosawa's early work and even Greek tragedies.

    Many people consider the fact that every bit of dialogue (and even the credits) were in the Esperanto language, to be merely a gimmick. In fact, it was an inspired decision, and makes the film independent of time and place; perfectly complimenting the otherworldly mood. Most of the actors do quite well with it, and after a few minutes it sounds natural, and a bit like a cross between Swedish and Latin.

    There are a few niggling problems: the actress who portrays the older succubus has a terrible declaimatory style, there are occasionally irrational plot turns, and worse -- the obtrusive subtitles that block out a large swath of the screen. This was necessitated by the fact that only one print of the film survived, and it had had French subtitles printed on it. When the print was rediscovered, director Stevens had to restore it for English-speaking audiences by blocking English subtitles over the top of the French!

    I must mention the score, by Outer Limits composer Dominic Frontiere, which perfectly compliments the film. Conrad Hall's cinematography is at times breathtaking -- especially in one scene where Shatner wanders through a field by moonlight, the grasses swirling around him.

    The film's denouement stays just on the better side of moralizing and manages to avoid heavy-handed Christian references. Indeed, the statues of Jesus, Mary and various saints in the village chapel seem just as threatening as the demons outside.

    Although not quite as morally ambiguous as "The Wicker Man" (and probably shot for 1/10 the budget and in 1/10th the time), Incubus nevertheless is one of my favorite "horror" films of the 1960s, and well worth viewing. By the way, I disagree with the other poster suggested that Incubus is best viewed in a large group. I suggest that the intimate scale of this film works best when watched alone on a rainy night. Prepare to be frightened, disturbed and surprised.

    A macabre footnote: within a year, both the actress who portrayed Shatner's sister and the actor who played the incubus would commit suicide.

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    Storyline

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    Did you know

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    • Trivia
      While theatrical distribution was being sought for the film, actor Milos Milos murdered Barbara Thomason Rooney (also known as actress Carolyn Mitchell, then wife of Mickey Rooney) and then killed himself following Rooney's discovery of their affair. Twelve days before the San Francisco International Film Festival premiere, actress Ann Atmar committed suicide. Two years following the premiere, Marina Habe, daughter of actress Eloise Hardt, was abducted and brutally murdered. The case remains unsolved. Domestic theatrical distribution for the film was never obtained, the film elements were stored away, and the film fell into total obscurity in the US.
    • Goofs
      The English subtitles are sometimes incorrect. For example, at one point Marc says to Kia: "I want us to be together. To stay together ... as man and woman." This matches the Esperanto dialogue. Then he says, "Mi volas havi infanon." The correct translation: "I want to have a child." The subtitles say: "The right way." He also says, "Mi deziras, ke ni estas kune." Translation: "I want us to be together." Subtitles say, "I want your body ... and I want to give you mine."
    • Quotes

      Amael: He has faced death, Kia.

      Kia: They all face death, all of them.

      Amael: He was unafraid!

      Kia: Is that so pure and noble? The beasts in the fields have courage. The smallest bird will beat its wings and claw a weasel in its nest.

      Amael: But his courage went beyond self-preservation.

    • Connections
      Edited from Au-delà du réel: Nightmare (1963)

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • November 1966 (France)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • Esperanto
    • Also known as
      • Leslie Stevens' Incubus
    • Filming locations
      • Santa Catalina Island, Channel Islands, California, USA(underwater scenes)
    • Production companies
      • Contempo III Productions
      • Daystar Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 14m(74 min)
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1(original ratio)

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